A/N: Good luck to anyone who has an English Literature Exam on May 19th 2009!

Poetry

'Tobey bloody Durbridge, what part out "I couldn't care less" didn't you understand?' Callie Rose asked me. 'The I? The couldn't? The care?'

'It was the couldn't and the less bits that didn't quite reach me. What I heard was "I care"' I replied just to be annoying. I looked at Callie seriously. 'Really, though, we have to do this'

'I hate poetry' whined Callie, looking at me like I was a mean owner that wouldn't give a puppy a treat.

'I know you do, Callie, but poetry is amazing' I said. I didn't really mean it, I was just quoting out teacher. ' '"Poetry says so much about so many things. It gives a chance to express anything and everything.". And anyway Callie Rose Hadley, you don't hate all poetry'

'Yes I do' she replied insistently.

'Half-Caste' I said, and for a moment Callie Rose was speechless.

'It's one poem!' She said.

'Nothing's Changed' I said and started listing the ones I knew Callie enjoyed. 'Two Scavengers, Search For My Tongue, Unrela-'

'I GET THE POINT' Callie screamed and I couldn't help but laugh. 'The poems I can relate to are brilliant, these poems are boring. Tell me how the hell I'm supposed to relate to Havisham?'

Still laughing I replied. 'Have you never wanted revenge on all men, Callie Rose?'

Callie looked at me strangely. 'No. Not all men. Just a few. Mentioning no names; Tobey' She went quiet 'Jude'

I knew Callie and I knew it was best to move on and not stop and ask if she wanted to talk about it. If she wanted to she would automatically. She was like that.

'And anyway I'd never want revenge in the way Carol Ann Duffy writes about, that's just sick' Callie shuddered at the thought.

'Ok, let's move on to a different poem' I suggested.

'Away from Carol Ann Duffy?'

'Since you asked so nicely…let's do Before You Were Mine' I said, with a cheeky smile.

Callie hit me with her poetry anthology.

'I guess I was asking for that' I muttered, and Callie nodded. 'So Before You Were Mine. Tell me about this poem, Callie Rose'

'Why don't you tell me about it Tobey?' Callie asked.

'Because I'm not the one refusing to do poetry revision' I replied.

Callie did a silent scream and open the poetry anthology to Before You Were Mine. 'Right Mr Durbridge' she said as she read her notes. 'Carol Ann Duffy knows that her Mum's life was better before…' Callie trailed off.

'You all right, Cal?' I asked.

She smiled 'Of course, except this was so boring. Her Mum's life was better before she was born, because after her birth her Mum has responsibilities and no dreams'

'Good. What else?'

'I want to kill her but since I don't know where she is you're a good replacement' Callie told me and pushed me back onto my bed and tried to hit me. I caught her hand.

'Oh no you don't' I said. I sat up and kissed her quickly. 'Now on with the poetry'

Callie Rose looked at me and burst out laughing.

'What?' I asked.

'You' She replied. 'Anyway, on with the poetry I guess'

'Well we could stop revising' I suggested and Callie Rose looked hopeful. I continued. 'Of course then we'd both do rubbish in the exam tomorrow because we wouldn't know what we were supposed to write about because we wouldn't know the poems'

'Ugh! Ok, Before You Were Mine is set 10 years before Carol Ann Duffy is born as is shown from "the decade ahead of my possessive yell"'

'You obviously know this poem well, lets do one you don't know so well' I said. 'Anne Hathaway?'

'William Shakespeare's wife's point of view. Carol Ann Duffy is an extreme feminist, who likes to give power back to woman. In this poem she does that by saying that Shakespeare leaving the second best bed wasn't a put down to Anne, because it was their bed.' Callie babbled. 'I am not going into more detail than that'

'You know if Anne Hathaway is the named poem you'd have to say a lot more than that' I said. I knew Callie knew what the poem was about, but she was crazy if she thought she'd remember it all tomorrow in the exam if she didn't revise. So yes it probably seemed like I was being a nag, but it was a necessary nag.

'The second line of it is all thinks from Shakespeare's plays and the poem is saying about they had sex' said Callie bluntly, and I couldn't help but laugh. It was impossible for anyone to take this poem seriously, even though in some ways it was a beautiful poem. 'She is comparing their loving making to his writing and saying they are the two things he does best.'

'Good good' I said.

'Tobey, you're acting like you know everything, so tell me about…' She flicked through the anthology. 'Sonnet 130'

'This poem's easy' I said. Callie was looking at me with a face that said "prove it", so I did. 'Shakespeare thinks false conceits are well…false. Untrue and pointless, he knows that no one can have eyes like the sun or roses in their cheeks. So he's being honest about his mistress, he's saying that she's a plain ordinary girl, but hey who that's all right because he loves her anyway' I added in a mutter 'despite having a wife'

'You are such a know-it-all' moaned Callie.

'I can't help being a genius' I said in a mock vain tone. 'Which one next?'

Callie smiled slyly and choose the one I most disliked. 'The Laboratory'

'She's talking to a chemist-person…'

'Chemist-person?'

'Apothecary' I corrected 'about the poison he is making to kill the mistresses of her husband…and blah blah blah. Callie you know I know this and you know I hate this poem, stop being annoying'

'I'm being annoying?' asked Callie. 'You're the one who's been putting me through hell in the form of poetry'

'Some people just don't understand literature' I quoted our English teacher.

'I understand that it's driving me crazy' said Callie. 'I can think of much better things to do on a Monday evening'

'Yeah?' I asked as if interested, then went serious again. 'Shame the exam's in…' I looked at the clock and worked it out '12 hours and seven minutes'

'Is that all?' Callie looked seriously panic stricken. 'Ok, Simon Armitage; Mother Any Distance. "Anchor. Kite." is a metaphor for the growing distance between the mother and the son as the mother is a anchor, old and held back, and the son is a kite free and flying. Throughout the poem the poet is saying he needs space from his mother as he is growing up and moving on and out of home, but at the same time he understands the never ending bond between a mother and a child' Callie Rose was talking so fast I couldn't barely take in what she was saying. 'Homecoming is all about trust. The jacket in it is a metaphor for trust as the mother in the poem betrays the girls trust by accusing her of the wrong thing and years later the girl finds someone and learns to trust again. Kid…'

'Callie Rose breathe' I insisted and she paused for breath. I giggled. 'You suddenly seem interesting in poetry'

'You aren't funny Tobey, you exam is in 12 hours and…' she turned to the lock 'two minutes'

'Callie, we've been revising all evening, I'm sure we'll both be fine' I said in an attempt to calm her down.

It didn't work. 'Tobey you're the one who's be telling me if we don't revise we'll be rubbish all evening'

'That doesn't mean I don't think we can pause for breath' I replied. 'We won't do rubbish, it's obvious we both know all about all the poems. We'll be fine'

'Thanks' said Callie, and calmed down slightly.

'No problem' I said and kissed her. She kissed back passionately, and after a moment we were laid down on my bed kissing. The poetry completely forgotten about.

A/N: I personally love poetry, but I prefer the ones mentioned that Callie likes :P! And revision is enough to put anyone off! Apart from English teachers :P